University Library Utilization by Biological Sciences Students at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana By Boohene, Kwame Akonnoh Sam Jonah Library University of Cape Coast Cape Coast kwameakonnoh@yahoo.com +233208622138 Afful-Arthur, Paulina Sam Jonah Library University of Cape Coast Cape Coast pafful-arthur@ucc.edu.gh +233244458470 & Barfi, Kwaku Anhwere Biological Sciences Library University of Cape Coast Cape Coast kwaku.barfi@ucc.edu.gh +233262282138 Abstract The university library is pivotal in developing students to acquire print information resources such as books and journals as well as electronic information resources to support teaching, learning and research. This explains why various library services have been developed in promoting effective information retrieval systems. The main aim of this study therefore, was to examine utilization of libraries by students of University of Cape Coast. The survey method was adopted for the study and students in level 100-400 who visited the library within the space of two months were purposively used for the study. In all, 500 students were selected for the study and SPSS version 21.0 was used for the analysis. Majority of the students hesitated to use the library because of lack of current reading materials and poor Internet access. It is recommended that the library should be resourced with the latest and relevant books as well as computers and Internet access to enable the students get the needed resources to support their research needs. Key words: University, Library, Information Resources, Students Introduction University library is central to learning and it plays a key role as a place for encouraging innovation, curiosity, and problem solving for academicians and non-academicians. University library is a catalyst for literacy and reading and for teaching and scaffolding inquiry learning. University libraries make a difference to students’ understanding and achievement and provide support for teaching and learning throughout the university. Students and researchers in academic institutions rely on libraries to provide the information they need in support of teaching, learning, research and knowledge dissemination, which is a fundamental reason for the libraries’ existence. For an academic library to be effective, it needs to explore the crucial relationship between libraries and its users, focusing on developing and managing reliable resources and services (Lamptey, 2011). University library plays a key role in the cultural and social life of the university community. It can be a central point for engagement with all kinds of reading, cultural activities, access to information, knowledge building, deep thinking and lively discussions. University library reflects student’s identities through ensuring that the languages and cultures of the university community are an integral part of the library’s collection, services, and environment. It provides a model for inquiry into learning, building knowledge and confidence in seeking and processing information needs to users. Libraries serve as a storehouse of information, or a record of human experience to which users turn to for data or information. They must therefore, make sure that their resources are well utilized as this is essential for the educational development of the students. In agreement with this, Rathinasabapathy (2005) posited that a library is an important intellectual resource of the academic community, and helps them to fulfill the curriculum requirements and to promote studies and research. The library, however, includes the totality of human and organized material resources available in both book and non-book format for providing and obtaining needed information (Ahuauzu, 2002). Oyewusi and Oyeboade (2009) in line with the ongoing discussion opined that the primary purpose of the university libraries is to support teaching, learning, and research in ways consistent with, and supportive of, the institution’s mission and goals. As a result, they continued, university libraries are often considered as the most important resource centre of an academic institution. This is why Okunu, Akalumhe, and Monu (2011) concluded that the university library is the heart and blood of the university. In addition to providing materials, libraries also provide the services of librarians who are good at finding and organizing information as well as interpreting information needs of its users. The effectiveness of a library is also gauged or assessed by its available resources, staff managing the place, materials and the services it offers with the available resources. There is therefore the need to regularly evaluate library services to find out if user’s needs are being met adequately. For this reason most university libraries have collection development policies which they adhere to; to meet individual needs. Thus, the role a library plays in the development of education cannot be over emphasized, because as a resource centre for acquiring knowledge, it is expected that staff acquire and organize print and non-print resources suitable for their needs. It is also expected to support teaching, learning and encourage users to work independently. However, it has been observed that there is low utilization of the library by students, especially the departmental libraries. It is also observed that most Colleges or Departments have no effective and adequate resources that contain audio-visual and graphic materials, computers with Internet access, databases gadgets to store books, journals, magazines, newspapers and web-based and digital resources. One wonders why College or Departmental libraries in University of Cape Coast (UCC) are not adequately funded. In most cases, the collections in the libraries are mutilated and outdated with few current books which make them hardly useful to students. The situation will have a cycling effect on the quality of products churned out by the University, as it will be breeding half-baked graduates (Omera, 2009). The aim of the study therefore, is to find out whether the library resources and services are adequately utilized by students in UCC, know their challenges when they use these Departmental or College’s libraries and find ways of improving the situation. In order to address the specific issues, the following research questions were formulated to guide the study: What are the human and material resources available for use in UCC College or Departmental libraries? What are the purposes of visiting the library? What are the benefits derived from visiting Departmental library? What are the problems militating against effective use of the college or Departmental library? Review of Related Literature Various research works on university libraries have probed into reasons for library visits, user’s attitude as well as the characteristics of use, promoting effective use of library resources and services and factors related to the use of the different types of library materials. Onifade, Ogbuiyi and Omeluzor (2013) reported that, postgraduate students in private universities in Nigeria were satisfied with the services of their libraries. On the other hand, Akande (2003) observed that the expectations of users are high when sourcing and retrieving information from the library and when such information needs are not met, frustration usually set in and this may drive the users away from the library. Users’ study is thus regarded as a veritable tool for the assessment of libraries and the services they provided (Tsafe, 2004). Edem, Anil and Ocheibi (2009) conducted a study on staff and students’ perceived effectiveness in the use of library resources in Nigerian Universities. They posited that many respondents searched for their required information through the various library catalogues but those who did not get what they wanted, mentioned the problem of lack of physical materials and mismanagement in the library. They suggested that e-library, e-resources, other relevant resources, and user education through orientation were needed to improve library services. According to Agyen-Gyasi (2009), the major challenge facing KNUST library is how to organize user education more effectively given the rise in student numbers, limited number of professional staff and the advent of electronic resources which has changed the information landscape. However in 2006/2007 academic year, KNUST library introduced video presentation into user education, with a recorded version of the orientation programme for new students, in the form of a DVD that replaced the lecture (Lamptey, 2011). The aim was to find ways of better educating students on the use of the library. Resource persons in the recorded orientation included the university librarian and heads of the cataloguing, lending, serials, reference, and electronic information departments. Research Methodology According to Katundu (1998), the purpose of research and its objectives determine the type of research design employed for a study. Considering the nature of the research problem, the most appropriate research methodology that was used is the descriptive survey design. Descriptive survey design according to Amedahe and Gyimah (2003) makes use of various data collection techniques involving questionnaire. Descriptive design makes it possible for researchers to collect information about target audience without having to deal with the entire population. Surveys also allow a small proportion of the sample to be selected and findings generalized to the larger group. For the purpose of this study, the entire population of students in School of Biological Sciences was used. The population of students in School of Biological Sciences is 1,505 (Student Records and Information Management Unit, 2015). Students in 100-400 levels who visited the library within the space of two months while this research was being conducted were randomly selected using purposive sampling. In all, 500 students were selected from the various departments under the School of Biological Sciences. The departments included; Biochemistry, Wildlife Conservation, Environmental Science, Fisheries and Aquatic, Forensic Science, and Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. Purposive sampling (also known as judgmental or subjective) is a non-probability sampling in which the decision concerning the individual students to be included in the sample was taken by the researchers based on the fact that these students have been visiting the library; therefore they have the knowledge on the research issues and also the willingness to participate in the research. Questionnaire was administered by the researchers themselves and was completed on the spot by most respondents. Thus, the return rate was 100%. Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) was used for the analysis. Result and Discussion The results show that out of the 500 respondents, 296 (59.2%) were males and 204 (40.8%) were females. The result of the study indicated that male students were in the majority. This is expected as male students constitute the majority of students in the university population (Students Records and Information Management Unit, 2015). Despite this, the gender gap is not too wide which shows that the female counterparts are also enrolling for undergraduate programmes in the sciences in spite of the general opinion that, the science programmes are for male students (Buabeng, 2009). On the issue of human resources, majority 260 (52.0%) of the respondents indicated that the library had qualified and supportive library assistants whilst 240 (48.0%) also indicated that the School of Biological Sciences additionally had a senior professional librarian managing the library. The details of their responses are represented in Table 1. Table 1: Distribution of Human Resources Human Resources Frequency PercentLibrary Assistant 260  52.0Senior Library Assistant 240  48.0Total 500  100Source: Field data, 2016. It could therefore be concluded that, the School of Biological Sciences have professionally qualified library staff. This is encouraging since professional librarians are able to systematically organize the resources of the school’s library for effective use by students. The finding is in support of the recommendation by Ogunniyi, Adeniji and Jato (2011), that a university library should be manned by professional librarians. Availability of Resource Materials The essence of college library is to satisfy the needs of its users. Respondents were asked to indicate frequency of usage of resources or materials available in the schools’ library. Detailed results are as shown in Table 2. Table 2: Types of Resources Used in the Library Resource Material Frequency Percent Books 109 21.9 Journals 86 17.4 Project works 77 15.5 Newspapers 92 18.6 Reference materials 58 11.7 Periodicals 42 8.5 Computers - - Internet facility 12 2.4 Quizzes/Past questions 20 4.0 Total 496 100 Source: Field data, 2016. The respondents frequently used books more than the other library resources. This represented 109 (21.9%) of the total responses. Newspapers and journals usage accounted for 92 (18.6%) and 86 (17.4%) of the total responses respectively; while project works were the next most used resources representing 77 (15.5%) of the total responses. Again, 58 (11.7%) indicated that reference materials are available at the library, 42 (8.5%) stated periodicals and 20 (4.0%) also said copies of past questions for examination and quizzes were available. The remaining 12 (2.4%) indicated that they use the wireless Internet facility. The responses clearly showed the absence of a computer in the library. This is unfortunate since electronic equipment would be needed to help student’s access information from Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC). Also, students who do not have laptops could have used, if available, computer setups in the library to do their personal research. A deduction from the above is that the three major resource materials available are books, newspapers and journals. This study however contradicts the work done by Komolafe-Opadeji (2011), who concluded in a similar study that students used more of the Internet services than any other resource materials and that, if the library wants to encourage students to use the library, there must be adequate provision of Internet services. More Internet service points should be specially designated for students in the library. In addition they should also be given wireless access so that they use the library. Moreover, this finding supports the work of Ogunniyi et al., (2011), who concluded that most school libraries were not hooked on the Internet. Respondents were asked to indicate how often they visit the library. There were mixed responses to this question. The details are provided in Table 3. Table 3: Frequency of Library Usage by Students Responses Frequency Percent Daily 79 15.8 Once a week 118 23.6 2 – 3 times a week 81 16.2 Once a month 97 19.4 2 – 3 times a month 125 25.0 Total 500 100 Source: Field data, 2016. Table 3 shows that 79 (15.8%) of the respondents used the library daily, 118 (23.6%) visited the library once a week, 81 (16.2%) visited the library 2-3 times in a week. Again, 97 (19.4%) visited the library once in a month and 125 (25.0%) also visited the library 2-3 times in a month. This shows that majority of the students do not visit the library often. This is at complete variance with the findings of Yussuf and Iwu (2010), who concluded that majority of the student’s used the library. However, if the library is underutilized, the students may be missing out on a lot of information that would have made them perform better academically. Purpose of Visiting the Library The respondents were asked to state their reasons for visiting the library and the analysis of their responses is presented in Table 4. Table 4: Purpose of Visiting the Library Purpose Frequency Percent To relax 26 5.2 To do research 153 30.6 Personal study 147 29.4 To borrow library books 30 6.0 To use the Internet service 19 3.8 To checkout for new books 68 13.6 To read newspapers or journals 57 11.4 Total 500 100 Source: Field data, 2016. The results in Table 4 revealed that majority of the respondents 153 (30.6%) visited the library mainly to do research, 147 (29.4%) of the respondents used the library for personal studies, and 68 (13.6%) respondents visited the library to checkout for new books. Again, 57 (11.4%) visited the library to read newspapers or journals, 30 (6.0%) visited the library to borrow library books and 26 (5.2%) also visited to relax. Finally, 19 (3.8%) of the respondents visited the library to use the Wi-Fi Internet facility. These responses agree with Fasae (2011) that majority of the students in Federal University of Technology Akure used the library to consult research materials. This implies that, the university library must have acquisition development policy that would support the research programmes and activities of the university. The libraries must also be adequately funded to build strong collections with the needed materials for research. Students were further asked how they locate books in the library and the details of their responses are provided in Table 5. Table 5: Means of Locating Materials in the Library Responses Frequency Percent Browse through the shelves 320 64.0 Seek assistance from colleagues 81 16.2 Seek assistance from library staff 99 19.8 Use Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) - - Total 500 100 Source: Field data, 2016. Table 5 clearly indicates that browsing through the shelves ranks highest, 320 (64.0%) and 99 (19.8%) of the respondents also indicated that they sought the assistance from library staff. Seeking assistance from colleagues ranked lowest with 81 (16.2%) responding. None of the respondents indicated that they used the OPAC to locate books in the library. This may be because the departmental library did not have that service. Efforts however, must be made to have such invaluable service provided to support student and faculty research endeavours. It can be concluded that majority of the respondents browsed through the shelves to look for books themselves. This may be as a result of the compulsory orientation programmes organized for first-year students by the library as well as the knowledge they acquire from the information literacy course. Respondents were further asked to indicate the benefits they got when they used or visited the library and they were asked to tick all that apply. The details of their responses are represented in Table 6. Table 6: Benefits of Using the Library Responses Frequency Percent Improvement in academic performance 118 21.0 Improvement in preparation of notes 109 19.5 Betterment of understanding of lecture notes 155 27.7 Provision of serene environment for learning 98 17.5 Easy access to reference materials 80 14.3 Total 560 100 Source: Field data, 2016. Table 6 revealed that, 118 (21.0%) of the respondents indicated that visiting the library had improved their academic performance, 109 (19.5%) stated that using the library helped them improved in the preparation of their notes and 155 (27.7%) also indicated that using the library materials made them better understand their lecture notes. Again, 98 (17.5%) of the respondents indicated that the library provided a serene environment for learning and 80 (14.3%) stated that the library helped them to find the needed reference materials of their course. Problems Encountered in Using the Library by Students It is also important to know the problems faced by students who used the library so that library management and the Dean of School of Biological Sciences could take steps to solve them. The details are shown in Table 7. Table 7: Factors Preventing Students from Using the Library Responses Frequency Percent Poor sanitation 19 3.9 Poor Internet access 135 27.6 Poor library orientation 30 6.2 Restricted library hours 39 7.9 Proximity to the library 26 5.3 Lack of current materials 179 36.5 The size of the reading room 51 10.4 Lack of sockets to use laptops 11 2.2 Total 490 100 Source: Field data, 2016. It could be seen from Table 6 that, inadequate current materials, representing 179 (36.5%) of the respondents was the most outstanding problem militating against their use of the library. This was followed by poor Internet access, representing 135 (25.71%) and the size of the reading room, representing 51 (10.4%) of the respondents. The other reasons were restricted library hours, representing 39 (7.9%), poor library orientation, representing 30 (6.2%) and poor sanitation, representing 19 (3.9%). Finally, 11 (2.2%) of the respondents indicated that lack of sockets to use laptops discourage them from using the library. These barriers were similar to the reasons given by Onifade, Ogbuiyi and Omeluzor (2013) as the major barriers that discouraged students from using a university library. Recommendations There is the urgent need for the School of Biological Sciences’ Library to be adequately resourced with current books, high impact research journals, electronic databases and other resources that could support student and Department or College research activities. In order to create effective and conducive learning environment in the library, it is proposed that the library adequately automates its services immediately. Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), electronic databases, institutional repositories, electronic borrowing a dynamic and interactive website would go a long way to promote easy access to the needed information and to enable students and other researchers have access to relevant and modern teaching and learning materials to supplement what they would have acquired from books. Librarians should find new ways of engaging Departmental heads or College Deans to share effective strategies and cooperation that could promote increased students usage of information in the various libraries. Library orientation must be automated and then capacities of students to use library resources also enhanced to ensure effective utilization. Conclusions The results showed that School of Biological Sciences had professionally qualified librarian handling the library. The study revealed that the three major resource materials available are books, newspapers and journals. It was also concluded that, the major purposes of students using the library are for personal studies, research and checkout for new books. On the contrary, none of the respondents used the OPAC to locate books in the library. This is due to the reason that the library did not have the needed equipment to use that service. This study therefore indicated that the major factors preventing students from using the library was inadequate current reading materials and poor Internet access. References Agyen-Gyasi, K. (2009). An evaluation of the reprographic services at the KNUST Library, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Electronic Reserve, 19, 1(7- 20). Ahuauzu, B. (2002). Use of library: A practical approach, Owerri Spring, Field Publishers. Akande, S. O. (2003). Patterns of first year students’ use of a university library: A survey at University of Ibadan. Lagos Journal of library Information Science, 1:22-26. 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